Shirley Abrahamson
| Shirley Abrahamson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1976 | |
| Appointed by | Patrick Lucey |
| Preceded by | Horace W. Wilkie |
| Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court | |
| In office August 1, 1996 – April 29, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Roland B. Day |
| Succeeded by | Patience Roggensack |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 17, 1933 New York, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Seymour Abrahamson |
| Alma mater | New York University (A.B.) Indiana University (J.D.) University of Wisconsin-Madison (LL.M., S.J.D.) |
| Religion | Judaism |
Shirley S. Abrahamson (born December 17, 1933) is a Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She was appointed to the court in 1976 by Governor Patrick Lucey, becoming the first woman to serve on Wisconsin's high court. She served as the only woman on the court from 1976 until 1993. She became Chief Justice on August 1, 1996 and served in that capacity until April 29, 2015. She was elected to the Supreme Court in 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009.
Biography
Early life and education
Abrahamson was born and raised in New York City, where she attended Hunter College High School.[1] She earned an A.B. magna cum laude from New York University in 1953, a J.D. with high distinction from Indiana University Law School in 1956, and an S.J.D. in American legal history from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1962.
Career
Abrahamson practiced law in Madison, Wisconsin for 14 years and was a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1976 by Governor Patrick Lucey, becoming the first woman to serve on Wisconsin's high court. She became Chief Justice on August 1, 1996 and served in that capacity until April 29, 2015.
Abrahamson has authored more than 450 majority opinions and participated in more than 3500 written decisions of the court. She has been involved in deciding more than 10,000 petitions for review, bypasses, certifications and lawyer and judicial discipline cases.
She is a member of the Council of the American Law Institute and serves on the board of directors of the Dwight D. Opperman Institute of Judicial Administration at New York University School of Law. She has been President of the Conference of Chief Justices and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts and has served on the board of visitors of several law schools. She served as a member of the United States National Academies Committee on Science, Technology and Law, and was chair of the National Institute of Justice Committee on the Future of DNA Evidence.
In 1997 she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[2] and in 1998 she was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, two scholarly societies in the United States. She is a member of the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2004 she was awarded the first annual Dwight Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence by the American Judicature Society. She has received the Margaret Brent Award from the American Bar Association.
She has received numerous other awards and fifteen honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the U.S. She is featured in Great (Top 100) American Judges: An Encyclopedia (2003), The Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2005), and The Lawdragon 500 Leading Judges in America (2006). She won re-election on April 7, 2009, defeating Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Randy Koschnick.
In April, 2015 voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that changed the way that the chief justice of the Supreme Court was selected. Previously the justice with the most seniority held the position, but the amendment allowed court members to choose the chief justice. On April 29, 2015, the justices elected Justice Patience Roggensack as the new chief justice. Abrahamson has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the implementation of the constitutional amendment, which is scheduled to be heard on May 15, 2015.[3]
Personal life
Abrahamson and her husband, Seymour, have been married for 54 years; they have one son.
Notes
- ↑ Johnston, Laurie. "Competition Intense Among Intellectually Gifted 6th Graders for Openings at Hunter College High School; Prominent Alumni Program for Seniors", The New York Times, March 21, 1977; accessed May 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter A" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ↑ Patrick Marley. "State high court quickly ousts Shirley Abrahamson as chief justice", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 29, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
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